1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beach, deck and patio chairs, and particularly to a beach or deck chair which features a swiveling mechanism, a rocking mechanism, and an adjustable, reclining back.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beach chairs, lawn furniture, deck and patio chairs, and the like are designed for leisurely relaxation and enjoyment of the weather. Once a person has found a comfortable position, the person finds it inconvenient and uncomfortable to reposition their body, as by twisting their torso or craning their neck to maintain a conversation with another person who may be to their side or standing up. It is also inconvenient to have to arise from the chair and reposition it to face towards or away from the sun with the passage of time. A beach or deck chair which has a swivel mechanism, a rocking mechanism, and an adjustable, reclining back would be desirable.
Several devices are known which present one or two of these mechanisms, but not all three. U.S. Design Pat. No. 340,142, issued Oct. 12, 1993 to J. P. Totoro, shows a rotatable beach chair. U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,184, issued Nov. 13, 1984 to C. D. Mincey, describes a portable folding chair which includes a swivel, the swivel not being described. The chair has an adjustable back which employs a telescoping member connected to the chair arm. U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,594, issued Mar. 18, 1997 describes several improvements in the folding mechanisms of the chair described in Mincey.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,170, issued Apr. 25, 1989 to S. Goldmeier, teaches two swivel mechanisms for an outdoor chair. One mechanism shows a circular track with rollers having vertical legs defining an annular groove, a circular, tubular support lying in the groove, and a plate resting on the circular support, the assembly being secured by a bolt passing through the center of the plate and the track. The other swivel mechanism shows a pair of plates connected by a large diameter pivot so that the top plate swivels on the bottom plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,782, issued Sep. 10, 1991 to J. M. Lundeen, discloses a rotatable sun chair in which tubular seat supports are mounted on U-shaped brackets which have roller wheels mounted on a circular, tubular track, the track being mounted on folding legs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,451, issued Jan. 7, 1992 to D. J. Sobel, shows a rotatable beach chaise lounge which uses a swivel mechanism having an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of ball bearings in a groove in the lower plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,184, issued May 5, 1992 to Stein, et al., describes a rotatable beach chair mounted on a cylindrical spike anchored in the ground. A ball bearing is placed in a socket between the spike and the chair seat. A second embodiment shows the cylinder attached to the seat extending into the top of the cylindrical spike with a plastic sleeve type bearing between the two. U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,434, issued Jun. 27, 1995 to K. C. Hybarger, shows a chair with a tilt and height adjustment mechanism. The tilt mechanism includes a housing mounted to a spindle, rails mounted to the underside of a chair, the housing being pivotally mounted to the rails. A load bracket is fixedly attached to the rails, and a tilt adjustment spring normally biasing the chair to an upright position is disposed between the load bracket and the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,014, issued Oct. 22, 1996 to J. G. Fitch, teaches a folding swivel chair with a swivel mechanism which includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and a middle layer of neoprene, the upper plate and lower plates being connected by a bolt extending through a bushing in the center of the plates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,064, issued Feb. 4, 1997 to R. D. Vanderminden, Sr., shows a swivel rocker having a base, a chair, and a connecting unit. The base has a vertically mounted pivot pin mounted in a bearing sleeve with a bearing plate. The connecting unit has two parallel U-shaped flexure members attached to the base by a composite beam having a rectangular upper plate and a contoured lower plate. The chair seat is attached to the top legs of the U-shaped flexure members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,781, issued Nov. 24, 1998 to R. D. Knape, teaches an adaptor to put a rocking chair base under a conventional four leg lawn chair. European Patent No. 348,274, published Dec. 27, 1989, teaches various mechanisms for making a folding chair in which the inclination of the back of the chair and the level of the chair seat are adjustable. European Patent No. 415,893, published Mar. 6, 1991, discloses a deck chair with an inclined and adjustable seat which may be transformed into a sun bed.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed, i.e., a beach or patio chair having a swivel mechanism, a rocking or tilting mechanism, and a back with an adjustable angle of inclination. Thus a swivel beach chair solving the aforementioned problems is desired.